Talking device



June 2, 1936. H RTZ 2,042,736

TALKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 2, 1935 INVENTOR. EDWARD SCHWARTZ BY ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2.03.788 TALKING DEVICE Edward Schwartz, San Francisco, Calif. Application January 2, 1985, Serial No. 17

8 Claims. (01. 274-1) This invention relates to phonographs and has for its object a cheap. greatly simplified, manually-operated device adapted particularly to mermy simplified phonograph comprises a sound box such as a small pasteboard tape extending from one of its walls so that upon holding the box and drawing the tape through the fingers of one hand with the edge 01' the such as a box of candy, so that upon the tape and pulling it between the fingers the box will sing or speak some suitable phrase or song which has been impressed on the tape record; or just the tape may be passed through an'aperture in the head of an empty tin can and the can made to speak by simply passing the tape through the pinched fingers. V

In the drawing the sound box is shown at i held by the fingers of the left hand 2 and with the sound record tape 3 hanging by one end from the center of the lower circular wall of the box in a manner adapting the tape to be pinched between the index finger and thumb of the right hand 4 with the forward edge 5 01' the thumb nail directed against the tape so as to ride over the small undulations or depressions 8 extending transversely across the upper surface of the tape constituting they sound record when the right hand is pulled downward in the direction of the indicating arrow, and which .box is shown used in connection for taking if with a box 01 pills.

The sound box may be closed on both sides or, rather, ends, or it may be partially or entirely open on either end and the tape secured to or depending from the other end. In Fig. 1 the tape 3 is indicated as extending through the lower treme outer end or going too far in.

The cardboard box may be to come apart, or the upper wall may be a tightat ferent kinds of the fingers of be of any shape, though a round one is preferable. It is also immaterial whether the tape stop bears against the lower or upper wall of the box while in use, as either. will constitute a diaphragm if thin and resilient. It desired, the outer wall 24 of the sound box may have an opening in it as at 25 in Fig. 1.

Instead of using the edge of the fingernail as described, a small metal, Celluloid", or Bakelite clip as shown in Fig. 7 may be provided.

, This clip 20 is bent up at one end to form guide walls 2! at both edges of and for the tape 3 and is slotted at the opposite end at 22 for a similar purpose, and is provided with a spring finger or fin 23 with a smooth thin end bearing against the tape 3 so as to successively traverse the sound record indentations or undulations 6, or instead of the fin 23 bearing resiliently upon the tape it may be slightly separated therefrom so as not to make a noise when sliding it back again, and then when sliding it in the proper or talking direction along the tape record it is pinched slightly with the operating hand. It is of course apparent that whether the clip 20 or the fingernail is used to slide over the tape, the speed of sliding should be uniform or else the pitch of the words or music produced will rise and fall.

The appended claims are drawn to the combination and its details apart from the specific sound tape per se which is a known device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a vibratile diaphragm member, a thin flexible tape extending from one end from said diaphragm member provided with phonograph sound record characteristics formed thereon consisting of small undulating ridges on the surface of the tape arranged along the tape in a manner to be engaged by a persons thumb nail placed transversely upon the tape as the same is pinched and drawn through the fingers.

2. In combination, a vibratile diaphragm member provided with a rim for holding it in the hand, a thin flexible tape extending from one end from said diaphragm member provided with phonograph sound record characteristics formed thereon consisting of small undulating ridges on the surface of the tape extending crosswise of the tape arranged along the tape in a manner to be engaged by a person's thumb nail placed transversely upon the tape as the same is pinched and drawn through the fingers.

3. In combination, a box with thin vlbratile heads and with one of the heads provided with a relatively large aperture, a thin flexible tape extending from one end through a close-fitting aperture in the other head and provided with a stop against pulling out and further provided with phonograph sound record characteristics formed thereon consisting of small transversely extending projecting ridges on the surface of the tape arranged along the tape in a manner to be engaged by a person's thumb nail placed transversely upon the tape as the same is pinched and drawn through the fingers of one hand. while holding the box with the other hand.

EDWARD SCHWARTZ. 

